Where the earth sings – Assy Plateau

If you ever have just one day in Kazakhstan, this is the place to be. Assy Plateau (speaking only for summer) seems like a place which nature has painted with it’s choicest colours. It’s like seeing the Windows desktop pictures come alive in front of your eyes, and if you are one born in the 80s, you’d very much know how fulfilling it was watching that slideshow of Windows desktop images, one after the other. It’s also, most likely the best place to easily witness the nomadic life. Located 100 km to the east from Almaty, Assy Plateau is a huge valley at a height of 2100-2800m above sea level, and about 40km long.

So, it was a day trip we’d embarked on, from Almaty to Issyk Lake, Bear Waterfalls and Assy Plateau. And it wasn’t just our guide Ilyas, but also his beautiful wife Assel accompanying us. The lake turned out to be super boring and the Bear waterfalls was for some reason closed for the season. It was almost afternoon, very hot, and I hadn’t enjoyed any views so far – I had almost begun to feel a bit disappointed.

We stopped for lunch – just some soup and salad, as I’d lost my appetite for some reason, and then we set out for Assy Plateau. And thank heavens for deciding to have a light lunch, coz there was no road to Assy Plateau. Post a brief stretch of super smooth highway roads where we blasted AC/DC on the car stereo, rolled down the windows and let our hair fly, it was entirely off-roading for several kilometres together, either swaying from side to side or getting thrown off the passenger seat or bumping our heads onto the car roof, and with dust filling up the entire car cabin. The scenes were beautiful throughout, tiny hills rising up on both sides of the road, mostly green.

After about 1.5 hours, we were almost there, at Assy Plateau, and the first sights had us mesmerised already.

We finally reached, parked and were out in what felt like heaven. A stunning expanse of high-altitude grasslands surrounded by high mountains.
In summer, shepherds set up yurts on the plateau to provide a temporary home while they tend to their animals and in this era of constant urbanisation, it’s so nice to see that Kazakhstan has managed to keep some of its traditions.

Thanks to the secluded location, the valley also provides excellent conditions for stargazing. Thus also has an observatory. Unique in its kind, it is called the High Tien Shan Observatory of Kazakhstan. Unfortunately, tourists are not allowed inside!

We walked around for a bit, soaking in the scenes. Had to get our jackets out coz it was windy, but the sun complimented the wind quite well and kept it pleasant. We walked around leisurely, soaking in the sights. The only thing audible was the hum of the wind, with brief interruptions of bleating of the cattle grazing away at some distance, and herders keeping watch.

After some time, we settled down. Our guide Ilyas, brought out a couple of folding chairs, a sitting mat, and soon we were gorging on a huge watermelon, and huge naan-like local Kazakh bread. What a burst of flavours, the salty cheese-like taste of the bread mingled with the sweetness of the watermelon. Bliss! Was followed by hot tea and cookies and of course friendly banter!

(This picnic courtesy our guide Ilyas, and is not a part of regular tour packages 🤪 . Reach out to him for the best tours across Kazakhstan and even Kyrgyztan)

We wanted to stick around for the golden hour, but we had to return as we had a long journey ahead of us and the road conditions didn’t make it any easy! But we did witness the setting sun on the way back, and it was beaut!

The day started with a bit of disappointment, but hey that’s just me. Kazakhstan is not one bit disappointing. The land and it’s people are truly incredible. We could not finish that huge watermelon (of course!). And the cookies. Ilyas gave away all of it to a kid who was galloping around on his horse (the generosity of that man!). All the rind was fed to the horse. And the place was diligently cleaned up before we left (zero litter!) And that’s the attitude which makes a place and keeps a place and makes you want to go back to a place.
Heart was full !

Things to keep in mind before visiting Assy Plateau

• The weather on the Assy plateau is severe. From what I learned, the valley is only open during the summer. Be sure to check-in with a local guide before making any plans for winter.
• When visiting, be sure to take sunglasses and a raincoat as showers are not uncommon for guests.
• Reaching the plateau involves a fair amount of off-roading. Do not self-drive unless you have experience of driving in treacherous mountainous terrain. It is advisable to book a tour with a local guide.
• Starting in Turgen Gorge, there will be no network / internet connection. Be prepared that in the event of a car breakdown, you will not be able to call and ask for help. Prepare carefully for your trip. Take repair kits for tires, a cable for towing a car, and a set of keys. Best, please travel with a local guide
• Reach out to Ilyas for the best pre-packaged guided tours across Kazakhstan, and feel like home wherever you go.

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